reconnaissance

noun

re·​con·​nais·​sance ri-ˈkä-nə-zən(t)s 

-sən(t)s

: a preliminary survey to gain information

especially : an exploratory military survey of enemy territory

Examples of reconnaissance in a Sentence

There are two helicopters available for reconnaissance.

They did a reconnaissance of the enemy's position.

Recent Examples on the Web

It is designed for high-risk and complex environments and can support remote reconnaissance, unmanned operations and specialized response missions. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026

His statement implies that these drones are being used primarily for reconnaissance. — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Pictures of Bowie conducting reconnaissance at the Capitol and buying a list of bomb-making ingredients at a hardware store — including long nails for shrapnel — were included in the affidavit. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Capers and his men knew the commander was essentially using their reconnaissance team as bait to flush out the enemy forces so the regular infantry could swoop in for the kind of large battle the big-brass strategy demanded at the time. — Ethan Rocke, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, recognition, from Middle French reconoissance, from Old French reconoistre to recognize

First Known Use

1779, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

reconnaissance

noun

re·​con·​nais·​sance ri-ˈkän-ə-zən(t)s 

: a survey (as of enemy territory) to gain information